A Ring of Prayer
by Rosa Cotton
Summary: While anticipating a return of a graver kind to Narnia and disappointed not having her family see her off to school, Jill finds a bit of peace and comfort in those who travel with her. The Last Battle.


Disclaimer: _The Chronicles of Narnia_, all characters, places, and related terms belong to C.S. Lewis.

* * *

A Ring of Prayer

A sharp whistle pierces the air.

Jill Pole jumps. She has been a bundle of nerves and emotions this past week, and the butterflies she has managed to keep at bay erupt again in her stomach.

She, along with Eustace Scrubb, is returning to Experiment House. A fortnight ago the girl had mainly been concerned with starting to prepare to go back to school as the summer holidays drew to a close. Then she was caught up in a whirlwind and has yet to be set back down. Now she – and the others – knows something is up in Narnia (for a Narnian, either real or a ghost, has never appeared in their world before); and she and Eustace are going back, since the older ones cannot. They will return by using the magic rings that the professor and Aunt Polly used when they were children.

Lucy, Aunt Polly, and the professor will accompany her and Eustace on the train. On the way to school they will meet up with Edmund and Peter to get the rings which the boys have retrieved from the garden of a house in London. Then, Eustace and Jill will put them on and get to Narnia, if everything works out.

She swallows thickly. Now is not the time to think that way. She smiles thankfully at Lucy, who helps her gather up her luggage. The two girls follow Aunt Polly through the crowd on the platform towards the train.

The ten-year-old girl pauses on the steps of the fifth car behind the engine to glance back over the crowd. She spots the professor, standing aside a little as Mrs. Scrubb embraces her son and kisses him on both cheeks. Jill sighs almost wistfully. The woman smiles a little at something Eustace says and looks towards the train. Her expression changes to a frown when her gaze meets Jill's.

Mrs. Scrubb has always disapproved of her son's friendship with Jill. She is barely civil to the girl most of the time. Once Jill accidentally overheard Mrs. Scrubb scold Eustace for having her over so much instead of his other friends, claiming she feared she was a bad influence on him. Eustace had politely, firmly protested and tried to assure his mother Jill was not bad company. The girl thought it was jolly decent of him how he defended her. Despite her efforts, Mrs. Scrubb never really warmed up to her.

Flushing, the girl turns away from the woman's piercing gaze and quickly catches up with her friends as they enter one of the compartments. In a few short moments all of Jill's belongings are stored away, and she settles down beside Lucy, who sits by the window. Aunt Polly sits across from them, her hands clasped together in her lap, appearing calm to the nervous girls. Yet her smile reveals her own anticipation.

Jill leans forward a little to look out the window. The activity on the platform has subsided a little. Nearly all the passengers have boarded the train. The girl glimpses some hurried, final farewells of hugs and kisses. A number of handkerchiefs flutter in the air as people wave goodbye to loved ones.

A lump forms in the girl's throat. She wishes her family had come to see her off. Instead, her parents had kissed her goodbye, reminded her to behave, and expected her to do well at school when they dropped her off at Aunt Polly's two days ago before catching a train to London; and her older siblings had already returned to their boarding schools.

Lucy had also stayed at Aunt Polly's, and Jill had enjoyed immensely both her friends' company. Last night she and Lucy had stayed up late talking about many things, among them their times in Narnia and wonderings and hopes regarding their return at school.

Now that faint hint of feeling abandoned she had experienced when waving as her parents drove away returns to Jill. Her vision grows blurry.

"Aye, here we are," a deep, friendly, gruff voice says.

Blinking, the girl turns her attention from the view outside and watches the professor and Eustace enter the compartment. While the old gentleman slowly seats himself beside Aunt Polly, Eustace puts his baggage away. He smiles a little nervously as he sits down next to Jill. She feels a little relieved knowing he also is nervous about the coming journey.

Silence hangs in the compartment. Everyone becomes lost in his or her own thoughts, looking at one another at times.

A loud toot sounds and the train starts forward with a slight lurch. Jill's heart jumps, and impulsively she grasps Eustace's wrist; awkwardly he pats her hand. They focus on the station as it grows into a blur and then vanishes. They are on their way.

The professor breaks the silence: "I think we should pray."

His suggestion is met with nods. He takes Aunt Polly's hand and reaches for Eustace's. Lucy clasps Aunt Polly's free hand, and smiles encouragingly at Jill as she takes her friend's hand. Jill lowers her hand from Eustace's wrist to his hand; the boy squeezes it lightly. Peace comes over her as she bows her head after glancing at her four friends.

"Dear Father…," Professor Kirke begins.

THE END


End file.
